Have you ever been hit by a brick? They call this DIY Hardcore Punk. There’s certainly a natural quality about this album by Serpent Eater from Germany. Anger and an almost unending sense of struggle are the medium for getting across their message.
This album comes from a number of angles and is the better for it. My initial sensation was of deep, throaty and sinister sludge metal with neat bass patterns. Deathly screams add to the disquiet and terror. As the doomy darkness rumbled on, I felt involved with this, even though the singer screamed manically. There’s a black metal mysticism about “Ebola”, the opening track. The doomy end reinforces the fact that this is one big heavy slab. “Last Cold Word” is another deep-veined struggle. There’s a sense of soldiering on in adversity, glossed up with a twisting pattern. Unexpectedly, it speeds up and there is frantic activity like someone’s spiralling out of control. The instrumental line falls between darkness and chaotic activity. The singer screams in desperation. There’s a lot happening here. “In the Wall” moves on in style. The opening is classic and has a 70s rock feel. Driving on mercilessly, there’s a threat of post metal but the track takes off in a frenzy of drums, screams and the constant deep guitar. Doom then returns. This could be the musical version of mental instability but it’s not experimental. That 70s sound re-appears. It’s got a psychedelic element but above al it’s crunchy and powerful.
Serpent Eater’s skill at manipulating a track is evident on the title track. After a furious attack, it slows down and there is quiet yet sinister reflection. I sensed that something was going to happen. Serpent Eater know how to play with the mind. What comes is a form of post metal sludge. But of all the six tracks on this 27 minute album, this one has an incompleteness. “Hyena” retains the standard dark and heavy mood but ends mid-stream. There is a good follow-up as “Leitmotif” is bouncy and thrashy. The riff gets in your head, forward gear is engaged and there is an abundance of energy. All that remains is “Trepanation Nation”. This track captures the overall mood with its pungent bass and brutal, black deathliness. It’s dragged out but not so sludgy. There’s a deathcore element but it’s never one thing as it notches up and down with its changes of pace. Serpent Eater are warlords of darkness.
I enjoyed “Hyena”. It’s dark but its constantly transforming and lingering nature captures life’s struggles and its trials and tribulations. With all the twists and turns, it’s very interesting.
(8/10 Andrew Doherty)
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